Carroll County

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 639 square miles (1,660 km2), of which 630 square miles (1,600 km2) is land and 8.7 square miles (23 km2) (1.4%) is water.

Transit

Jefferson Lines

Adjacent counties

Stone County, Missouri (north)

Taney County, Missouri (northeast)

Boone County (east)

Newton County (southeast)

Madison County (south)

Benton County (west)

Barry County, Missouri (northwest)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 28,260. The median age was 44.8 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.4 males age 18 and over.

17.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 82.1% lived in rural areas.

There were 11,727 households in the county, of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.8% were married-couple households, 19.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 13,853 housing units, of which 15.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 70.1% were owner-occupied and 29.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.6%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 25,357 people, 10,189 households, and 7,111 families residing in the county. The population density was 40 people per square mile (15 people/km2). There were 11,828 housing units at an average density of 19 units per square mile (7.3 units/km2). The racial composition of the county was 93.63% White, 0.11% Black or African American, 0.88% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 3.34% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. 9.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 10.03% reported speaking Spanish at home.

There were 10,189 households, out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.10% were married couples living together, 8.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.20% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.30% had someone living alone, who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.00% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 26.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,924, and the median income for a family was $33,218. Males had a median income of $21,896 versus $18,159 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,003. About 11.00% of families and 15.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.70% of those under age 18 and 13.60% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the Constitution of Arkansas and the Arkansas Code. The quorum court is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are called justices of the peace and are elected from county districts every even-numbered year. The number of districts in a county vary from nine to fifteen, and district boundaries are drawn by the county election commission. The Carroll County Quorum Court has eleven members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief operating officer of the county. The county judge is elected at-large and does not vote in quorum court business, although capable of vetoing quorum court decisions.

The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 9 Republicans, 1 Democrat, and 1 Independent. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:

District 1: Jack Deaton (I) (position now VACANT)

District 2: Stuart Bruce Wright (R) of Eureka Springs

District 3: Harrie Farrow (D) of Eureka Springs

District 4: Hunter Rivett (R) of Berryville

District 5: Matt Phillips (R) of Berryville

District 6: Craig Hicks (R) of Berryville

District 7: Kellie Matt (R) of Eureka Springs

District 8: Bobby James (R) of Green Forest

District 9: Aaron Hall (R) of Green Forest

District 10: Jerry King (R) of Green Forest

District 11: Caroline Jane Roberts (R) of Alpena

Communities

Cities

Berryville (county seat)

Eureka Springs (county seat)

Green Forest

Holiday Island

Towns

Alpena (partly in Boone County)

Beaver

Blue Eye

Oak Grove

Other unincorporated communities

Carrollton

Rudd

Osage

Townships

Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas; some may have incorporated cities or towns within part of their boundaries. Arkansas townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, the United States census does list Arkansas population based on townships (sometimes referred to as "county subdivisions" or "minor civil divisions"). Townships are also of value for historical purposes in terms of genealogical research. Each town or city is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps and publications. The townships of Carroll County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.